Saturday, August 24, 2013

The most significant thing that ever happened to me was moving to Denmark. I had very few friends, culture shock and a new school! These are the reasons why moving to Denmark, was a significant event in my life.

When I first moved I only had made two friends. That summer was a sweltering one so we never really hung out. I was also too busy unpacking my boxes! In South Portland I had alot of friends and we hung out alot. During our move the computer broke and we didn't have any internet. So I wasn’t able to communicate the best with friends after I moved. I felt very alone and socially disconnected from the world.

In South Portland you could walk everywhere like the mall or a friends house. After we moved I either have to get a ride to wherever I want to go. There would be also always be some sort of ambience noise, like a lawnmower, sirens or people. When we first moved all I heard was crickets and the occasional bird! It was a big change from what I was used to. The only source of water now is a well and bottled water. In the city we had a endless amount so we could take long showers, but you would get a long water bill too! Now we have to be very careful with how much water we use.

Going to a new school and learning the layout on the first day was a very big challenge! I actually didn’t have a schedule till everyone went to the assembly the first real day for everyone. Waking up at 5:30 so I can catch the bus has been a big change. I'm used to waking up a hour later! The hour bus ride is fun because I can listen to music, do homework or read a book!

So from a lack of friends, new school and the culture shock that came along with it, moving to Denmark was a really significant event! At first I was disappointed I was moving but after a week(s) i'm really glad I moved. The academy is a good school and I was welcomed with open arms by everyone!

Friday, August 23, 2013

My speech is about how city life is better and more convenient than life in rural areas. I lived in the city for 15 years before moving to the town of Denmark and frankly it's boring. My three reasons are access to goods, jobs and transportation. I will use my old city that i used to live in (South Portland) to help back up my statements.

In the city you have shopping plazas and stores all around you. Within 1 mile of my house there were over 50 stores I had access to shop from. Within 8 miles of my house I had more than 250 stores thanks to the Maine Mall and it’s nearby plaza’s. So I had a endless amount of restaurants to eat from and stores to shop from! So if you want something you can get it nearby and fast. In rural areas you have to travel farther distances to get what you want.

The city offers many more jobs than rural areas.The usual jobs in a typical rural area are farming and logging. In the city you have much more to choose from and more jobs. In South Portland on a job site I found 2,749 listings for job. I found 113 jobs for the Fryeburg/Bridgton area. South Portland offered enough jobs to hire everyone in Denmark and Brownfield. That’s a large difference between the two areas.

You don’t really need a car in the city because of the large amount of transportation opportunities. You could take a bus, taxi, train or even walk to reach your destination. South Portland offers over 15 different bus routes dropping you off at key places in the city. The city also offers 8.2 miles of walking trails going through the city and into Portland. The walkway was very helpful when I had to walk to middle school. In rural areas they usually don't offer a bus system, taxi or train.

So as you can see the city is a much more convenient way to live than rural areas. Cities have more to offer such as sights, culture and people. I lived in the city for 15 years so I know.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

It all started on March 8th, 2032. It was a bright sunny morning with a brisk chill in the air. Like any normal morning the birds were chirping away and my cat meowing at me to get up. The only thing that wasn't normal was that there were no cars or human noises. I got out of my bed and went downstairs to get my breakfast. The floorboards were cold as I walked to get my milk, cereal, bowl ETC. I ate my breakfast out on the screen porch. Well that was only for a minute until the wind picked up. Coming back inside I was greeted by my cat scratching my leg to make me get him food.
"Ok Ginger just wait a second."
I finished my tasty bowl of Fruity Pebbles and gave Ginger his food. Then I heard a loud thump coming down the stairs. That was Madeline who is very clumsy and cranky when she gets up.
"Give me food critter."
Yep your probably wondering who critter is and that’s me. Well she calls me critter while everyone calls me Chris or Christopher.
"Alright then what do you want?"
"Hmmm maybe some Chocolate Poptarts."
Chocolate was one of her favorite foods. She must think i'm crazy enough to give her one! Our mom who was very strict would kill her or me and probably both if she found out Madeline had a poptart!
"No way Madeline and you know why! Mom would get so mad at us!"
"Yeah but mommy isn't hear or daddy or jecka."
Wait did she say know one was home!? Oh yeah and jecka is our older sister who attends the community collage down the street.
"Did you just say that know one except us is home?"
"Yeah I did now can I have the poptart?"
I was to shocked to think so I gave her the poptart anyway. She ran into the family room and watched Spongebob. I looked out the window and both cars were there safely in the garage. I decided I would call my grandparents to ask if they knew where my parents and sister were.
Ring Ring.. Ring Ring.. Ring Ring.. HELLO PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE AFTER THE BEEP: BEEP
"Hey ummm is anyone home? Well if anyone is can you call me back? Oh yeah and where is our parents and Jessica? Ok ummm love yeah bye."
Ok know one answered so mine as well try later, so for now mine as well do the dishes. I was going to go and empty the dishwasher when Madeline came in.
"Aren't you gonna get me ready for school?"
Oh yeah I completely forgot that we had school! Wait what time was it anyway?
8:40 A.M.
"Wow Madeline we slept in because I'm late and your late for school. The weird thing is I didn't hear your bus go by."
"I didn't either so how we supposed to get to school now?"
"Stay right here and get your clothes on."
I started walking outside to my next door neighbors the Tiddbuns who had a daughter Madeline's age. I reached the front door and knocked. Knock Knock Knock... Knock Knock Knock...
"Hey anyone home around here?"
No Answer to my question. I raced over to the next and the same result. I did the same until I reached the gas station maybe half a mile up. By that time I thought of Madeline waiting for me. I raced back to her because we were the only ones left.

When I reached the house Madeline was waiting impatiently.
"Where did you go?"
"Madeline please get a nice warm jacket, gloves and scarf."
"Ok fine but I want to know where you were."
Madeline got her winter clothing on and so did I. I grabbed the house keys and my moms minivan keys.
"Now Madeline we have to go somewhere ok and just to let you know the school is closed."
"Wait a minute here did you say its closed?"
"Yes now come with me and get in the car."
We got into the car and Madeline knew by that time something was up If I was about to drive and for the first time. I turned around to face her in her seat.
"Madeline do you really want to know whats going on?"
"Yes because I don't like lies critter."
"Ok you may find this hard to believe but I went around door to door up to the Exon Station and know one answered and there were no cars anywhere on the road so I believe we are the last two humans on the planet."
"That’s silly critter we aren't the last two on earth! Now where are we going?"
"Well first were going to Walmart, Target, Gamestop, A.C. Moore and Shaws with a few other stops in mind." Now please buckle up and be quiet!"
I put the keys in the ignition and started the car. I cranked the heat up so we wouldn't be too cold. I slowly drove out of the garage into the street. On our way to the destinations everything felt eerie. Driving was hard for the first time but got the hang of it. I quickly made my way to Walmart in about 10 minutes because of no traffic. I turned around and told Madeline what we were going to do. Our main goal was to loot the store. We would find anything we want and put it in our cart. We had a maximum of two carts each. After that you would have to carry it. To get in we would smash a extra cart into the door breaking it.
"Ok are you ready to start the loot?"
"Yes I'm ready Critter."
We said goodbye and went our own paths. I started toward the LEGO Isle and took everything on the shelf that appealed to me. Next was the Trading Card Isle where I took every single pack there was. After that was the Electronic Section. That was going to be a minor challenge. I went down to the Hardware Isle and got a hammer and came back to the Electronics. I started with smashing the display cases. Carefully not to cut myself I grabbed each Ipod. Then I walked to the video games and systems and did the same thing. After I broke the display case of some cell phones. I already had one but I wanted a better one. I grabbed a few and headed to the movies and books. I didn't really care what the movie was but grabbed every single on on each shelf. For the books I did the same thing.
"Crittterrr?!?!?!"
I turned around to see Madeline entering a Aisle beside me with her two carts filed. I looked down at my cart and noticed it was filled as well.
"I’m right here Madeline!"
I heard a loud thump and scream. Then a loud crash as a shelf filled with CDs came crashing down crushing the CDs underneath.
"Critter why did you scare me? I was looking for you so we could pay now."
"Ummm I told you that know one is left but us. So we can basically take whatever we want."
"That's silly Critter cause I told you that we aren't the only ones left."
By that time I was getting angry for her not believing me! Why couldn't she just believe in the truth like me? How could she not notice that no cars were going by and that know one was outside and and AHHHHHHHHH!
"ALRIGHT MADELINE WHY CANT YOU EXCEPT THE TRUTH THAT WE ARE THE ONLY ONES LEFT?"
"Well because I don't like that thought and i’m always optimistic."
"Fine well just please don't ask me any questions that will make me answer "We are the only ones left" ok because then this will happen again now lets go!"
We went back to the entrance doors and made our way back to the car. Driving to Target took 3 minutes and we parked right in front of the doors to save time. It was almost lunch time which was hard to believe. I grabbed 5 carts and smashed the fifth into the door. The same rules applied that we only get two carts. Except that we couldn't get doubles of anything we had. We went a different way but I stuck to the same routes like last time. I got all the LEGO sets I didn't get at Walmart. I got any trading card packs I didn't get at Walmart and the same with the Ipods, Movies, Books and even some CDs. We meet at the food center to get our lunch. I cooked us up some Pizza and Hot Dogs. For a drink I got us Coke. We took our table and started eating. The first bite was nice and warm. The cheese was gooey and sauce drippy. It was very good and I gulped it down within 20 seconds while Madeline was just on her fourth bite. I made another Pizza and grabbed a bag of chips. When I got back Madeline was done with her food. I gave her my bag of chips and chowed down my pizza slice. When we finished we drove to A.C. Moore and got craft supplies and went to Gamestop and got carts full of games. By that time we had everything we wanted and the only store left was Shaws. I turned around to see if Madeline wanted to go to any other stores.
"Madeline any more stores you want to go to?"
"Well I want to go to Pet-Co and the Jewelry Store!"
"Alright fine we will go to those places."
I drove off to the first stop that she wanted. When we got there I took one empty cart and rammed it in the doors. I told her to find the animal and let me put it in the box. She raced toward the fishes/hamster aisle. A minute or two passed and she came running to me.
"Critter grab a few boxes and come with me!"
I followed her grabbing a few boxes passing where the employees store boxes for the animals. We reached the fishes first. Ok so I want that one, this one, of course that one and all those. She pointed out numerous fish.
"Hang on Madeline and let me grab a bag."
I went over and grabbed a bag and fish scooper.
"Alright let me see what I can do ok?"
"Alright Critter do your best."
I scooped all the fishes up and emptied them into the bag. There were probably 39 fishes in the bag. I grabbed 3 bottom feeders to clean the fish tank later on. I sealed them up and told Madeline to get a cart and meet me at the hamsters. We grabbed all the hamsters and any equipment that they would need later on. Next up was the Jewelry Store so we headed back to the car. The drive was filled with Madeline saying how cute her fish and hamsters were. As we pulled into the parking lot the silver columns shined us with the suns rays. The doors were a hard material that anything not even a bullet could break.
"Sorry Madeline looks like we cant get inside."
Looking at her was hard. She really wanted to get jewelry. I thought of how else we could get inside. Maybe we could climb onto of the roof and make a hole? It was to dangerous however because there was no medical help if someone got hurt. We turned back and went home but first we had to go to Shaws. That didn't take long because most of the what we wanted wasent there. Delivery day was tomorrow and they were almost empty of many items. Grabbing only some cerial, canned products and drinks we went home. The house was as we left it. Inside it was colder then the morning because the heat was turned off. Madeline turned to me and started talking.
"Critter can we move since no ones left?"
I thought of that idea. It was a really good idea because she was right!
“Yeah I guess we can since like you said were the only two left. We could move to a island if you want.”
She had that thought expression on her face as she thinked. I thought it would be cool too! We could hijack a ferry and go to Peaks Island.
“That sounds cool to live on a Island. So I would love to move there!”
To move I would have to get some uhaul trucks. Nah that would never work. Both of us would get all the stuff in the house and bring it to the ferry. Then we would sail off to Peaks. It was getting darker and darker so we started and did it fast. Anything that didn't go in would wait for the next trip. The porch was loaded with furniture and junk. By 6:45 everything was on the ferry. I made us for dinner some leftovers in the freezer. After we got in the car and drove off to the ferry. As it came into view we could see our furniture and other things that were in our house. I boarded the ship first turning on lights and clearing a path of items that may have fallen over. Next to board was Madeline who sat down in a empty seat. I went up and above the deck to get to the control room. Inside there were surprisingly only a few controls. One for steering, throttle and buttons. I shut the door behind me and turned that light on. Finding a start up was hard but found it after a small manual fell on my head with the basics bookmarked. The boat was noisy once turned on, but once we got out of port there was barely any noise. I looked up and grabbed the intercom speaker.
“Hello everyone this is your captain speaking. We have left port and are slowly making are way to Peaks Island. When we dock please remain seated until told to get up. Thank you and have a nice trip.”
Peaks Island took only fifteen minutes to get to. Once we docked Madeline and I got in the car and drove off, looking for our new house. The island was small and it didn't take long before we found a brand new house that was up for sale. It had a garage for two cars and four bedrooms and two bathrooms excluding the master bathroom located next to the master bedroom. Downstairs it had a kitchen, dining room and a entertainment room with one of the two bathrooms. The attic had a indoor garden and outback a pool. I thought that would be a perfect place for a house. We pulled into the garage and slept in the car that night. We would bring everything tomorrow to the house. Early in the morning while Madeline was still sleeping I drove down to the local mini mart on the island. I grabbed us some breakfast to eat once Madeline wakes up. Awhile later she woke up alone in the car. We were at the pier and I was in the ferry taking the smaller items and placing them next to the car so we could load them in. When she came for me we ate our breakfast consisting of poptarts and waffles. Not the best meal but something at least. I let her go down to the beach right next to the pier on both sides. I loaded up the car with everything I could fit. Before I left to bring the things to our new home I told Madeline to get everything she could and bring it where the opening of the ship was. I left and emptied everything into the garage. Coming back I found alot of stuff in the opening of the ferry. We both grabbed as many items and stuffed them in. They all fit and again went back to the house and dropped them off. Next up was the bigger items like beds, nightstands, couches, tables. We got as much as we could into the car and very very surprisingly we had half of the bigger and heavier stuff in our car! The garage was filled with items so we couldn't fit anything else in it. We left the big stuff on the front lawn. By the time we got back to the ferry it was 12:23 P.M. which meant lunch time. I told Madeline we would get lunch after we got the rest to our house. Madeline who cannot go without food quickly more then I ever could got all our food and put it inside the car. We left at 12:45 P.M. only fifteen or so minutes after arriving. Once home we got out and made ourselves lunch from scrounging the next house next to us. A normal peanut butter sandwich with soda. During lunch we talked about who would get what room. I would get the master bedroom with the master bathroom. Madeline would get the next biggest bedroom. There would be three empty rooms which would be a Library, Arts and Crafts room and a guest bedroom. We took all the big things and moved them inside to our rooms. That would fill a little or maybe half of our rooms. By that time it was 1:18 P.M. and we were slowly getting the small stuff upstairs.

The Beatles were and still are one of the most popular bands of all time. The reasons for their popularity are the band members good looks and their apparent peaceful/calm behaviors. Their songs and albums that they produced portrayed themes and messages that fans loved because they helped bring the American culture to England. They were also popular because while all the news was filled with chaotic events, the Beatles offered good news of that decade to read in the paper or watch broadcasted on the television.

First lets start off with a little overview of what the Beatles were all about. They were an English rock band formed in 1960 and stayed together till early in the year 1970. The Beatles were made up of four members. John Lennon played the guitar and sang. Paul McCartney played the bass and sang also (while at times played the piano). George Harrison played the lead guitar and sang. Ringo Starr played the drums and sang. They composed over 25 albums and over 200 songs while they were together! Many of them reaching the Billboards and 27 of them becoming #1 hits in America! The group also starred in three movies, all of them comedies. Now lets head onto why the ladies loved them.

The ladies loved the band for a few reasons. The first was that they usually all wore the same outfits and all had the same “moppy” hair. The outfits they wore would either be a simple black trench coat or suit. Or they would wear a more colorful and bizarre outfit. One example of a colorful or bizarre outfit would be while performing songs from the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and even on the album cover. They kept their opinions to themselves so their opinions wouldn't give any damage to the band. The members appeared to be peaceful, calm and humorous while in public. When they weren't in public they were known to get in arguments especially leading up to their breakup. The ladies loved their personalities, behaviors and appearances. A large crowd would always follow them wherever they go. Not many other bands have achieved such large crowds since then. The ladies just couldn't get enough of them!

The Beatles songs were influenced by the American music style. More specifically the style that influenced them was the American music style of rock and roll! There was a difference in music between the two countries and the British loved the new style of music introduced. The Beatles wrote and produced every song. The fact that they wrote their songs added extra meaning to the songs. Themes and messages found in the songs were of having fun, love and peace. Those messages gave hope and inspiration in a time of violence and hatred towards others. I borrowed some Beatle CD’s from a friend and listened to a few songs from each album. They do have good meanings and I could find the messages of peace, love and fun in them.

The Beatles formed in the year 1960 and disbanded in 1970. During that time period the world saw some scary events take place. Such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, segregation and riots, JFK assassination, RFK assassination, MLK assassination and the Vietnam War. These events were always on the front pages of the newspapers and on television screens. However the Beatles offered good news. Whether it was from collecting their 13 Grammy Awards to being spotted out in public they would give a nice break in the bad news. The so called “British Invasion” made the front headlines for a few weeks in America and their songs would continue to land them on the front pages regularly. Their popularity peaked in America at around 1965-67 as they added more tour dates and released more albums. During that time they were featured more and more in the news.

So concludes why the Beatles were and still are one of the most popular bands of all time. With their good looks, charming personalities and peaceful demeanor they always attracted large crowds and people loved them. They offered music that people enjoyed and could listen to again and again. When the news was full of gloom and despair the band offered good news. Even after the band broke up each member would go on to sing bestselling songs and attract large crowds. To leave you wondering, how many bands do you know that are still popular 53 years after they were formed?

Saturday, July 13, 2013

All the formatting is done. I just need to change the about part when I get the chance. Ij the next coming days I shall post old essays and work done for my English class. Lots of great stuff! I promise!

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Wow! Its been about 10 months still I last posted! Wow! I wasn't able to post at all because the teacher wanted everything handed in as an actual paper copy. In the next few days I will start adding new things and renovating the blog.